Chapter 1 Dust 3
The people in the arcade changed one after another, and I went to the service desk to exchange game coins at least five times, but until I sat down in the rest area exhausted, Chen Qiaoluo still didn't come.
At that moment, I felt that I was abandoned by the whole world. No one needed me, no one could pay attention to me. The loss slowly grew from a corner of my heart, and finally expanded into a shadow that was difficult to cover.
When I looked at the time again, the clock in the arcade lobby showed it was already past nine o'clock, so I walked out of the arcade.
The neon lights of the city have been turned on, and occasionally two or three people pass by.
I was standing at the door of the video game arcade, and suddenly I felt so confused that I didn't know where to go.
Maybe I could go home to see my dad, but I really don't want him to worry about me.
Just when I was at a loss, Chen Qiaoluo suddenly came running from not far away and came to me. He supported his knees with his hands, lowered his head and kept panting.
After a while, he calmed down and looked up at me, saying angrily: "Hello Zhu Yun, do you have any sense of propriety at your age? You didn't answer the phone for no reason. Are you trying to disappear?"
I took out my phone, and I didn't know when it ran out of power and turned off automatically. I put the phone with a black screen in front of Chen Qiaoluo's eyes and shook it, saying, "It's out of power."
As if he had not expected to get such an answer, Chen Qiaoluo was stunned for a moment, then he continued to ask: "What's wrong with you? What about the phone call this afternoon?"
Chen Qiaoluo's words reminded me of my sad past, and the scene of being rejected by Guyu reappeared in front of me. My nose felt sore, and I almost couldn't control my tears.
Seeing me like this, Chen Qiaoluo panicked. He said, "Hello Zhu Yun, what's wrong with you? If you have anything to say, please talk to me. Don't cry."
"Chen Qiaoluo, I..." I was choked in my throat when I was halfway through the sentence. The dull pain from my chest almost made it impossible for me to breathe. I sniffed my nose and spoke after a while, "I was rejected by Guyu."
"Guyu?" Chen Qiaoluo was stunned for a moment, then looked at me in disbelief as if he remembered something and asked, "Don't tell me that you confessed to Guyu?"
"Yes, I was so stupid. I foolishly ran to confess to him and then got rejected." I bit my lower lip, trying hard not to cry.
Seeing me like this, Chen Qiaoluo laughed instead. He said, "Zhu Yun, it's just a confession and being rejected. It's no big deal. Besides, I told you a long time ago that Guyu and you are impossible. Think about it, he is such a good 'three good students', how could he tolerate us who are unlearned and idle."
"You're still laughing." I glared at him angrily and retorted, "You've always been the one who's unlearned and idle. It has nothing to do with me."
"Yes, yes, it has nothing to do with you. Our Zhu Jun is so gentle, kind, generous and lovely. She is a rare good girl." Chen Qiaoluo echoed my words with a smile.
Just when I gladly accepted it, he suddenly spoke again: "But, Yunhao, Guyu is really not the same kind of person as us. For your own good, you should not get close to him again."
The seriousness in Chen Qiaoluo's words and the determination in his eyes made me stand there in a daze.
After a while, he regained his usual playful smile and said to me, "Let's go. To celebrate your breakup, I'll treat you today. Let's get drunk!"
"Hey, Chen Qiaoluo, are you still talking like a human being?"
Before I could finish, Chen Qiaoluo pulled me forward.
The biggest advantage of a broken heart is probably that you have a reason to indulge yourself.
After calling my dad from a pay phone to tell him I was out that night, I went to Old Time Blues with Chen Qiaoluo.
This is a bar where Chen Qiaoluo's mother, Aunt He Pei, performs as a resident singer. Not long after I met Chen Qiaoluo, he brought me here.
As soon as I followed Chen Qiaoluo in, I saw Aunt He Pei standing on the stage singing. She was wearing a bright red dress, her hair was curled into charming big waves, and she sang in a hoarse voice:
Such a deep night in the rainy street
Even the stars are about to go out. What kind of date are you going to?
I didn't mean to say this, I just still have feelings for you
I thought all imperfections could be solved with love.
But I have no other reason except loving you
I speak so directly from the heart
Maybe it's the night that makes people feel timid
With me, do you lack anything?
No matter how wild your heart is, you know you should refuse
What's the knot in your heart?
You can't leave all this
It's just that you were born in the street of temptation
It's just that you were born in the sinking midnight
Wildness in the blood versus reality and illusion
No difference...
It’s “Street of Temptation” by Jonathan Lee.
I would hear Aunt He Pei singing this song almost every time I came here. I once asked her why she liked this song so much, but she just smiled and didn't answer.
I have never heard Chen Qiaoluo talk about his father, as if this person never existed in his world.
I never asked about anything about him, just as he never asked about my family.
The black guy from the bar came over and said to us with a smile: "A Luo and Yun are here, are we going to drink juice as usual today?"
"No, I don't want juice." I immediately refused and said, "Let's drink today. Brother Xiaohei, give me a glass of each different type of wine."
Hearing me say this, Brother Xiao Hei was shocked. He turned to look at Chen Qiaoluo in confusion, but heard him say, "Brother Xiao Hei, just let her be. She's in a bad mood today, so just let her do whatever she wants."
"Okay, I'll go and help you prepare it right away." Brother Xiaohei replied.
I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, the table was already filled with all kinds of alcohol. Xiao Hei introduced them to me one by one, saying this is a Bloody Mary, this is a Deep Sea Bomb, and that is a Long Island Iced Tea.
I drank it sip by sip, trying hard to ignore the momentary heat in my heart.
I don’t know when I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was already on Chen Qiaoluo’s back.
There was no one on the street at this time. The summer night moon was hanging brightly in the sky, and the ground was covered with bright white frost.
I opened my mouth and wanted to call him, but found that my throat felt like it was burned.
As if noticing that I woke up, Chen Qiaoluo turned and looked at me.
"What's wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable now?" Chen Qiaoluo chuckled.
I wanted to refute, but I couldn't make a sound, so I just let him laugh at me. Although Chen Qiaoluo's mouth was a bit bad, he was still good to his friends. At least he didn't leave me in the bar.
I got off Chen Qiaoluo's back and walked home with him. The moonlight was gentle, and we didn't say anything else.
It was not until we reached my door that Chen Qiaoluo suddenly looked at me and said seriously, "Hello Zhu Yun, Guyu is not suitable for you. But you have to believe that there is always someone in this world who loves you. Even if he doesn't come now, he will definitely appear by your side in the future."
The determination in Chen Qiaoluo's eyes made me stand there in a daze.
He smiled at me, turned around and walked back.
Until his figure disappeared in the moonlight, I was still in a daze because of what he said.
I slept at home all day and didn't go to school.
My dad was shocked when he saw me coming home drunk last night. He called my class teacher early in the morning to ask for leave for me. At noon, he made me wolfberry chicken soup.
It wasn't until the afternoon that my throat was able to produce normal sounds, but unfortunately it was still hoarse.
Dad went out in the afternoon, and when he came back, he had two plane tickets in his hand. He said to me with a smile, "My daughter, I've asked for a few days off to take you to City B to relax."
I think the luckiest thing in my life is having such a father. He didn't ask me why I drank so much yesterday. He knew I was unhappy, so he took me on a trip.
I sent a message to Chen Qiaoluo, saying that I was going out of town recently, so I packed a few clothes and boarded a flight with my dad to City B. City A is far from City B, and I still felt a little unreal until I landed two hours later.
After putting our things in the hotel, my dad took me to the night market. We took a taxi and went straight to the destination. The two of us listened to music quietly in a small bar, and at midnight we went to the snack street next door for a midnight snack.
I stayed in City B for three days. During these three days, my father took me to explore the whole city. We climbed mountains, visited old streets, and went shopping. My father tried hard to cheer me up, and I seemed to have forgotten the pain that Guyu had brought me.
I returned to City A on a weekend afternoon, and I had sorted out my feelings. The world did not stop functioning without Guyu. I had too many things I could not give up. He had never been everything in my life.
I received a call from Xiaohei on the afternoon of the second day. My phone kept vibrating in my pocket throughout the entire class. I finally waited until the get out of class was over and called him back, and I heard his panicked voice.
"Hello, Yun, something happened. Luo was beaten and sent to the hospital."
Although Chen Qiaoluo and I often insulted each other, my heart still skipped a beat when I heard that he was in trouble. I rushed to the hospital, where the doctor was stitching up his wound.
I stood at the door and watched anxiously. I turned to Brother Xiaohei and asked worriedly, "What's going on? How did Chen Qiaoluo get beaten like this?"
"Alas, this is all my fault." Brother Xiaohei sighed heavily and said, "A few days ago, a customer came to the store. He was generous, but he was also a bit vulgar. Sister He Pei suffered a lot from him. Yesterday, A Luo came to see me, and I accidentally let the cat out of the bag. This guy also has a bad temper. He couldn't bear to see his mother being wronged, so he beat that guy up that night. But that man seems to have some power, and today I found a few people to beat him up."
Bars are always a messy place, and Aunt He Pei is bound to run into trouble when she sings there. I can understand Chen Qiaoluo's behavior, but seeing him covered in injuries, I can't help but feel angry.
Seeing that I didn't say anything, Xiao Hei said again with self-blame: "It's all my fault. If I had kept my mouth shut, Luo wouldn't have been hurt like this."
"No, it's not your fault." I then asked, "Does Aunt He Pei know about this?"
"I haven't told you yet. A Luo doesn't want her to worry."
It was Chen Qiaoluo's style. No matter what, he would never worry Aunt He Pei. I sighed and said nothing. After a while, the doctor came out. Xiao Hei and I looked at each other and walked into the ward.
As if he didn't expect me to come, Chen Qiaoluo was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Hello Zhu Yun, why are you here?"
"Come to see if you are dead." I said unhappily.
Seeing me like this, Chen Qiaoluo immediately said with a playful smile: "How could I die? If I died, you don't know how lonely you would be."
"Bah, I don't know how happy I am if you die." I said, "You are such a troublesome person, the sooner you die, the more peaceful the world will be."
"Hello, hello, Zhu Yun. Have you ever considered my feelings when you say this?" Chen Qiaoluo pretended to be sad and said, "I've been so nice to you all the time. It's all in vain."
"Come on, you're the only one who's nice to me?" I rolled my eyes at him and said, "I'm lucky you don't cause me any trouble."
"snort."
Chen Qiaoluo leaned on the pillow, turned his head and said to Brother Xiaohei, "Brother Xiaohei, when you see my mother tonight, tell her that I will be staying at your place for a few days and tell her not to worry."
"Okay, I got it." Brother Xiaohei responded.
I don't know much about Chen Qiaoluo's family. I vaguely know that he lives with Aunt He Pei. As for his father, he has never mentioned him.
I think everyone has a scar in their heart that they don't want to touch.
